There are ill-equipped engineers in ASCs...

It is very important that authorized service centers (ASC) should have well-qualified engineers so that clients’ problems can be addressed immediately. Today, customers are well-informed about technology and ask for engineers who will be able to resolve their problems quickly. However, in recent times, we have seen that vendors are appointing ASCs, who are not equipped to handle customer needs. This only adds to the user’s problems, who is likely to shift to another brand. 

Too many ASCs means too bad service...



Vendors have appointed too many ASCs. This in turn has led to deterioration of the quality of service provided by these centers. At times, they cannot be tagged as ASCs as they don’t have the requisite skill-sets. They don´t have ample certified engineers to handle the problems faced by the customers. Hence, they are unable to provide customer satisfaction. A well-equipped ASC is the greatest asset to a vendor as it gives good service to the consumer, resulting in brand loyalty. 

Users uninformed about service delays...



If there is any kind of software or hardware problem, customers get in touch with partners. Partners give a response time to customers only if the issue is a known one. The ASC will then contact customers during this time. Vendors should make sure that ASCs honor this response time limit and ensure that the user’s problem is resolved within this deadline. If there is an application problem coupled with hardware trouble, then the ASC should assure that the user is informed about this. Sadly, this is not happening

Non-technical staff field service calls...



Some service centers do not follow the norm for ASCs. When customers call, their queries are forwarded to non-technical persons, who are not equipped to handle such calls. Not surprisingly, customers end up wasting their time and their problems are not resolved either. This alienates them from the vendor, and at times, even the dealer from whom they have bought the product. Additionally, most queries are diverted to the main call center, usually at Singapore, US or Australia. This only adds to the frustration of customers, as when the call is transferred abroad, they customers have to wait for a long while. This can be avoided by having trained engineers in India. 

The need of the hour is well-equipped call centers...



Leading vendors have realized the importance of servicing customers and have set up national or regional call centers for trouble-shooting. Other principals should follow their example. These centers should have equipped engineers to tackle such calls. They can also opt for customer relation management (CRM) packages where they know the customer problems, and by doing this get a better perspective to handle problems faced by customers.